|
|
|
Operation Pedestal
10th Aug 1942 Convoy
12th Aug 1942 Damage
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
|
|
|
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 26th Mar 2025 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
265607 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQs
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
|
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
|
|
Want to know more about Operation Pedestal? There are:2 items tagged Operation Pedestal available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
|
Able Sea. Albert William "Bim or Dolly" Gray HMS Manchester Unfortunately, my father-in-law, Albert Gray, passed away a few years ago, so I can only state that he was on board HMS Manchester when it was torpedoed by an e boat in the Med on the way to Malta, and he ended up swimming to the North African coast, where he was arrested by the Vichy French, and taken to Laghouat Prison where he spent some time, before, I believe, he was liberated by the Americans.
He returned to the UK on a troop ship, only to be assigned to another ship after just two weeks leave!
My mother-in-law told us that he never received any of the letters or food parcels that she sent him, presumably taken and consumed by the Vichy French.
What horrible people they must have been!!
|
PO. Richard Rothwell Smith HMS Cairo Dad, Richard Smith joined the Royal Navy at HMS St Vincent in 1935 at the age of 15 and a half, he served for 15 years. He was a PTI.
His ships were:
HMS Ramilies,
HMS Iron Duke, HMS Hood, HMS London, HMS Coventry, HMS Cairo, HMS Montclare
and HMS Glasgow.
He was on HMS Cairo at the time she was torpedoed while on Operation Pedestal
He died in 1996.
|
Bert Turner HMS Manchester (d.14th August 1942) Bert Turner was my gran's cousin. He was a stoker. He was on board HMS Manchester when it was hit by the torpedo. Sadly, Bertie was one of the badly wounded and transferred off the ship but died on the 14th August 1942.
He was born 1921 and was 21 years old. His mother had died when he was young and he was always around at his aunties and my gran thought of him more as a brother. They always had salmon sandwiches for tea when he was there as they were his favourite. She was devastated by his death so she was so pleased when I went to Malta and took a picture and laid some flowers at his memorial.
|
ERA. Harry Ronald Ward HMS Eagle My grandfather, Harry Ward, joined the Royal navy in July 1929, aged twenty. He was serving aboard the HMS Eagle when it was torpedoed and sunk during Operation Pedestal. Luckily, he was not in the engine room at that time. In the water for two hours before being picked up, he remembers choking on the petrol that was in the sea. His wife, Peggy, was pregnant with their second child at the time and had to wait a couple of weeks before knowing her husband's fate. Family history has it that his hair went white overnight due to the shock. He remained in the Royal Navy until 22nd June 1949.
|
Henry Atkinson HMS Manchester My father, Henry Atkinson was a steward to the officers. When they were interned in Algeria he was given a melodeon by one of the officers and told to keep it. I still have it. He also told me Mae West saved him, so as a child I imagined a woman swimming and saving him!
|
Stwd. Henry Crossley Horn HMS Pathfinder He enlisted at HMS Glendower 8th Dec 1941. Served in various vessels including HMS Pathfinder (G10) which was involved in Operation Pedestal (Malta Convoys) and the sinking of U162 in the Caribbean. Following the Pathfinder he served on HMS Lynx, the Coastal Minesweeper and Patrol Base at Dover, before being transferred to HMS Royal Arthur and invalided out in 1945.
|
John Hendry Horne HMS Manchester John Horne was my father who served with the Royal Navy in WW2 aboard HMS Manchester during Operation Pedestal.
He was detained by the Vichy French from 13th of August 13th of August 1942 until 3rd of November 1942.
I have a Bible stamped "Presbyterian Church, Algiers". Inside the cover of the Bible he has signed his name. It is also signed by another crew member, William Richards. They also wrote "Three months of hell".
|
Ldg.Sea. James William Woodhall HMS Nigeria My father, James Woodhall joined HMS Nigeria when she was first commissioned and served on her through the Arctic convoy missions up until she was torpedoed whilst on Operation Pedestal. He was part of the detail who retrieved the bodies of lost comrades after the ship had limped into Gibraltar, the memory of which troubled him for years afterwards.
|
Ldg.Sea. Ronald George Daplyn HMS Manchester My father Ron Daplyn was in HMS Manchester at the time of Operation Pedestal, serving as an Airframe Rigger for the Walrus catapult plane. When the ship was abandoned his duty was to destroy the Walrus's radar to prevent capture. By the time he had completed that, all the boats and floats had left the ship, so he went into the sea in his lifejacket. He was picked up by HMS Eskimo about 1100 that morning. He subsequently served in escort carriers, HMS Biter and ashore at RAF Defford, servicing aircraft engaged in radar trials.
|
Ldg. Sgnlmn. Edward Robert Lambert HMS Nigeria My father sadly passed away last year, but he did serve on HMS Nigeria during Operation Pedestal. Not sure if he was a leading signalman at that point, but he was by the end of the war. He was usually known as 'Ted' or 'Jigger'.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
